Monday, September 5, 2011

Testa Rosa - Testa Rosa II (2010) - a brief overview

By the sound of Testa Rosa II's opener, "Big Girl," you'd swear someone had broken Phil Spector out of the clink, or at the very least paroled his ass prematurely. On that wondrously aforementioned number, Testa Rosa prime mover Betty Belxrud oozes vintage, '60s girl-group gloss, and although this record isn't wall-to-wall, wall-of-sound, "If Only I Had Run" follows the same sublime tack. There's plenty more retro-fitted bliss tucked into this co-ed, Milwaukee quartet's sophomore set. Better yet, Belxrud and Co. dovetail their revivalist flair with a keen contemporary awareness, ably blowing off the spoon-fed hipster brain trust altogether. Testa Rosa II is where genteel meets the ethereal, hauntingly lucid as Beach House and Mazzy Star, while occasionally bearing the hallmark harmonies and pop acumen of Motown acts of yore. I say occasionally, because by album's end things slow to a whisper - a feather light comedown counterpointing a host of exhilarating highs. Investigate purchasing Testa Rosa IIdigitally or otherwise.